Surgical needle and suture



1934- o. J. LOGAN 1,981,651

SURGICAL NEEDLE AND SUTURE Filed June 25, 1933 INVENTOR UWf/V [Zoe/6WATTORNEY 7 Patented Nov. 20, 1934 UNITED STA-mas orza ics- Thisinvention relates to surgical needles-and sutures.

The surgical needles -at present in most-common use are provided with aneye-for th'e passage-of the suture. v This requiresa needle-having arelatively large' shaft where the eye is formed therein and such aneedle makes a relativelylarge hole in the flesh which, of course,.-'ishighly undesirable. When an .eyed need-le is threaded, the suture isdoubled at least :adjacent the needie and the suture passes doubledthrough :the flesh. This also makesa relatively large hole in the:fleshand the drawing of the two strands of the suture 'through th'eflesh 'cuts the same often at two different points.

Needles have heretofore-been constructed-to hold the end of a suture sothat the suture will extend in a single strand from theneedle; In theonly construction'of which applicant "is informed by whioh' this resultis secured, theend and '2 of the-drawing the invention is applied toacurved surgicalneedle indioated'as a whole'at :2. Theneedle =comprisesabody "or-shaft indicated of the needle opposite the point is slit andthe suture is inserted in this slit in theneedle after which the metalalong the slit portion-isswaged over the suture to hold the same inplace. For this reason the needle can be used with only one suture. Thisconstruction also has the disadvantage that rough edges are often formedalong the slit and these injure the flesh in passing through the same.

Certain objects of the present invention are to improve the constructionand mode of operation of surgical needles and sutures and to produce aconstruction in which the needle is attached to the end of a suture sothat the suture extends in a single strand from the needle and in whichthe needle may be attached successively to different sutures.

Other important objects of the invention are to produce a needle andsuture construction in which the needle may be quickly and easilyattached to the end of a suture so as to leave only one strand of thesuture extending from the needle and in which there will be no roughedges formed on the shaft of the needle.

With the above objects in view the invention consists in a needle andsuture embodying the novel and improved features and constructionshereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claim, theadvantages of which will be readily understood and appreciated by thoseskilled in the art.

The various features of the invention will be clearly understood fromthe accompanying drawing illustrating the invention in its preferredforms and the following detailed description ofthe construction thereinshown,

In the -drawing,--

Figure l is a view in side elevation illustrating a curved surgicalneedle and suture embodying 0 the=inventiongi Figure 2 is'a view of-theneedle illustrated in Figure -1 partly 'in -side elevationand partlyin--the--axis of the needle and illustrating a construction embodying theinvention-in modified form as applied-toe straight needle; and

Figure '4 tea 'view'partly in side elevation and partly in=-sectiontaken in a plane containing the axis of the needle and illustratinganother modifiedform 'of the invention.

In the construction illustrated in Figures l at 4 to the rear end ofwhichis'detachably connected a suture holding member or elementindicated at 6 which, in the construction illustrated, is made in theform of a tube.

In order to secure the element 6 to the shaft 4 of the needle, the saidelement is provided with a series of screw threads indicated at 11 whichare 5 arranged to engage a corresponding series of screw threads 13formed on a reduced portion 15 of the needle shaft. The element 6 thusis se-' cured to the shaft of the needle so that it forms an extensionof said shaft. The diameter of the element 6 where it joins the shaft tothe needle is preferably made substantially the same as the diameter ofthe rear end of the shaft so that when these parts are connected thesurface of said element will be substantially flush with the surface ofthe shaft.

The suture is indicated at 8 and is connected with the shaft of theneedle by means of the holding element 6. As shown in Figure 2, theouter end of the tubular element is contracted as indi- 0 until itspassage is stopped by the engagement of the knot 12 with the wall of thetube. The suture may then be attached to the needle by threading theelement 6 onto the rear end of the shaft of the needle.

In the construction shown in Figure 3 the needle indicated as a whole at2a is provided with hold the end of the suture from being drawn throughthe element 611. This enlargement is not formed by a knot in the sutureas in the construction shown in Figure 2 but is produced by a swellingof the suture. This swelling may be effected by dipping the suture inacid or sterilizing compound.

In the construction shown in Figure 4 the needle indicated at 2bcomprises a shafteb and a tubular element 62) threaded on the rear endof said shaft and having its outer end contracted as indicated at 10?).The suture indicated at 811 is provided at its inner end with a sleeve16 secured thereto. This sleeve preferably is constructed of (arelatively soft metal and its outside diameter is such that it will passinto the element Gbbut that it will not pass through the contracted endthereof.

The sleeve is secured on a. suture by swaging the same so as to contractthe sleeve to grip the suture.

It will .be noted that in the present construction the entire needle isprovided with a smooth outer surface which readily passes through theflesh and that there are no rough edges which might tear or otherwiseinjure the flesh. The surface of the shaft of the needle is flush withand blends smoothly intotheouter surface of thetubular member 6 whichattaches the suture to said shaft so that the entire needle may beeasily drawn through the flesh.

After a needle has been used in sewing up a wound the suture used in theoperation may be to maintain a number of sutures with attaching elements6 ready for use and these may be successively attached to the sameneedle.

' If desired, of course, after each operation the holding element 6 maybe detached from the shaft of the needle and the suture removed fromsaid element. After the sterilization of the needle and holding elementa new suture may be inserted in the said element and the element againattached to. the needle.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited totheparticular construction and arrangement of parts of the illustratedembodiment of the invention but that the invention may be embodied inother forms within the scope of the claim.

Having explained the nature and object of the invention and havingspecifically described ceris claimed is:

In combination, a surgical needle having a point and a shaft and ashell-like suture holder,

means enabling the holder to be attached to and its outer surface flushwith the shaft at the point of attachment thereto, and being of equaldiameter with said shaft throughout a substantial distance fromits-point of attachment, said holderf being stream-lined towards its endremote from the shaft and having its bore so reduced adjacent a said endas to serve as holding means for a suture.

OWEN J. LOGAN.

